Ytterbium and terbium dodecaborides

The synthesis of several rare earth dodecaborides, isomorphous with UB12 and ZrB12, and crystallographic data for these phases were reported recently. The unit cells are face centered cubic with four formula weights of MeB12 per unit cell; the structures may be visualized in terms of boron atoms linked in a rigid three-dimensional network, with the metal atoms in large cubo-octahedral holes.